Birmingham Remembers Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney
Mourners gathered at New Beginning Christian Ministry in east Birmingham Sunday to remember the life of Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney. The 3-year-old was abducted while attending a birthday party at the Tom Brown Village public housing apartments on Oct. 12. Authorities days later found her remains in a Birmingham-area landfill.

Gigi Douban
One of many mourners at Sunday’s funeral wearing clothes bearing Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney’s image.
On Sunday, people formed a line that wrapped around the church to attend the girl’s funeral. Hundreds packed the sanctuary and an overflow room. Many came wearing t-shirts and buttons bearing Kamille’s image.
The service included tributes from family members, faith leaders and city officials. “We don’t know, oh Lord, how we got here,” Rev. Alvelyn Sanders said in an impassioned prayer from the pulpit. “But we know something happened in our lives. There was a baby named Kamille who made us all stop and check ourselves.”
New Beginning Pastor Sylvester Wilson urged people not to try to understand why Kamille was kidnapped and killed. She died of asphyxiation by suffocation the same day she disappeared, according to arrest warrants.

He confessed that as a father and grandfather, processing her death has been difficult. “I realize that I’m a man of God and I realize that I’m the pastor of this church,” he said, “but I don’t know how I would feel if that happened to one of mine. I told my wife that I’m not afraid that I wouldn’t be the pastor of this church, but I might be an inmate pastor.” He struggled, he told the congregation, he struggled to make sense of her death. But he said her slaying had a unifying force. “People don’t understand that what you see here had to happen so that God could bring this city, this country, and this world back together again,” he said.
A man and woman were charged in Kamille’s death.




A dentist is on trial for allegedly killing his wife with poisoned protein shakes
James Craig is accused of fatally poisoning his wife of 23 years and trying to cover his tracks by asking his cellmate to kill the lead investigator. Here's what to know as his Colorado trial starts.
Drake, Toby Keith and ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ have a big week on the charts
It's a slow week on the Billboard charts, but a few albums and singles are still having a huge impact, including Drake's new single "What Did I Miss?" and the soundtrack to the Netflix original movie KPop Demon Hunters.
‘Sorry, Baby’ is a story about pain and healing you haven’t heard before
Eva Victor wrote, directed and stars in this tender film about a woman trying to make sense of life after sexual assault. Although very much a drama, Sorry, Baby showcases Victor's comic smarts.
Greetings from New Delhi, India, where performing monkeys spark delight — and ambivalence
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
Israel strikes Syria’s capital Damascus
The Israel military said targets included a Syrian military compound in Damascus as well as a target near the Syrian presidential palace. Israel's defense minister said "painful strikes have begun."
The best games of 2025 so far, picked by NPR’s staff
From indies like Blue Prince to big console exclusives like Donkey Kong Bananza, NPR staff and contributors round up their favorite games of the year so far.